Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Turn to , the third Gospel book found in the New Testament.

(Today is “All In Sunday” when we stoke the fires of our faith and commit our lives to being like the early church that loved God, loved people, and was urgent in God’s business.)

Is there something we should be doing as Christians?

I mean, going to church and singing songs doesn’t seem like it is going to change the world, right?

We may have all heard of the song, “Kumbaya, My Lord,” but having a “Kumbaya” moment is not going to change the world if the church doesn’t get out into the world to proclaim Christ!

Stand, read text (), and pray.

Jesus was invited to stay in Capernaum to enjoy a big “Kumbuya” moment (v.

42), but Jesus did not stay there long—Jesus’ mission sent Him to reach more people—to make disciples who would know Him and walk with Him.

Jesus just got done healing the demon-possessed and the sick, and He left for the expressed purpose of His life: I Must Preach.

Preach is translated as "proclaim" in .

In the Gospel narrative, we read that when Jesus neared the end of His earthly ministry of proclaiming the Gospel, He gave the keys to Heaven to Peter in a figurative way ().

God gave to the church the opportunity to open the doors for people to know Christ in a personal living way.

These keys represent the authority and power of the church through the Gospel.

ILL: Losing Keys.

I am not sure about you, but one of the things I lose the most, besides my mind, are my keys.

They usually show up where I left them, but sometimes I put them in odd places and forget about them until it’s time to leave.

Church, Jesus has handed us the keys to the kingdom.

Perhaps we’ve lost them, and it is time for us to find them again! is about to hand us the key to success and fulfilment.

Will you take the key with you to unlock the door for others, or will you forget about it?

Proposition: Take the key to the Kingdom!

We cannot read the Book of Luke and ignore the connections it has with the rest of the Bible.

1.

The Loving Story

The Book of Luke is a part of the Gospels that transition us out of the Old Testament into the New and ultimately to us today.

In order to know why Jesus is connected with the past, and why today we are continuation of the reason Jesus came, we need to read it.

Roughly 10% of Christians have actually read the whole Bible through, so you may miss the story unless you read it—I encourage you to!

Today's population is many times greater than it was in Jesus' day, yet… In America, the church… 8,000-10,000 church close their doors each year!

… Does this sound like the church is awake and noticing the need?

Story of the past…is one of God’s love for people—a people who rejected Him—yet He never gave up!

Are we content ignoring God's whisper of love that He wants us to herald to the world?

Creation/Garden of Eden…Adam and Eve were tempted by the poisonous words of the Devil, and they started a domino effect of sin whereby mankind listens to his gut, instead of his God.

God told them one day a descendent would come to save them.

Their children chose to walk away from God.

God reached out to Abram to establish a new nation, out of which God would bless all nations.

His descendents also walked away from God.

In Egypt, God raised Moses to lead His people away to the Promised Land.

All along the way, the people doubted, disobeyed, and complained.

God gave the Israelites laws to create an orderly society, to help the people know Him, and to show sin has consequences.

Yet, the Israelites walk after their own ways.

The Israelites wanted a king to be like other nations.

God gave them a king.

Some were good, but most led the people away from God, and the Lord sent His people into captivity for about 500 years.

Soon, 400 silent years were disturbed “when the fullness of time was come” () by the cry of a baby in a manger in Bethlehem.

The Roman Empire was man’s greatest empire.

It was the epitome of man’s greed, lust, corruption, and oppression.

It was then that God sent Jesus to make a difference—to lead a revolution—to lay the groundwork to bring God’s kingdom to earth.

God’s love prompted the mission of Jesus to come rescue the world!

God’s love is what drew us to Christ, and it is through God’s love that we continue the mission of Christ.

"It requires much more than just preaching and evangelism.

It starts with loving people; then it blossoms into caring about every dimension of people's lives: caring, sharing, helping, healing, giving, comforting--telling people of God's good news after showing people God's great love."

Stearns, Unfinished, p. 76

Transition: When Jesus came, His ministry was to change lives, and to show us how to change lives through His Gospel.

But is our job done?

Are we supposed to twiddle our thumbs waiting for our bus ride to Heaven?

Who do we go to?

2. The Apparent Need

Apparently, Jesus said there was a need, but where is it?

What is it that Jesus sees that we must train our eyes to see?

gives us a clue.

ILL: Richard Stearns, Unfinished, describes three kingdoms that affect the way our eyesight—the way we perceive the needs of people.

“I must ...” (Luke Jesus came for a reason as a part of the loving story of God because people need the Lord!

"How can we hold in one hand the truth that Jesus loves the poor, the widow, and the orphan yet hold in our other hand the tickets to our upcoming Disney vacation?”

p. 45, Richard Stearns, Unfinished

How many of you would like to live at Disney World?

We’d all like to live in a perfect world—but that has not come yet!

We have become infatuated with the magic allurements of this world—let’s call it the “Magic Kingdom.”

"Prosperity knits a man to the World.

He feels that he is 'finding his place in it,' while really it is finding its place in him."

C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters

Knowing our hearts’ desires to connect with this world, Jesus said:

Here’s a question: “What would people be like if they grew up their whole lives in the Magic Kingdom?

Do you think our worldview would be distorted?”

We like the Magic Kingdom World, but we also like Magic Kingdom Churches.

In America, we have buildings, sound systems, comfortable chairs, climate control, special lighting, people to watch our children—many you can also play at the playground or get a latte—all the while, we dismiss a church if it overruns our favorite worldly programs or touches on issues that are deeper and different than the Magic Kingdom World presents!

American saints want a “quicky” with a made-up Magic Kingdom God before resorting to their Magic Kingdom lifestyles.

In a world of make believe, we think we are truly “All-In Christians,” but that’s because we bought the train ride the Magic Kingdom producers have sold us!

What we forget is that just outside the walls of the Magic Kingdom is a Tragic Kingdom, and you don’t need to take a “magic carpet ride” to see a whole new world through God’s eyes—just start talking to people about life—their life about Jesus.

In our Magic Kingdom world, we don’t see it.

We complain in the Magic Kingdom, forgetting how life is in places hardest hit in the Tragic Kingdom.

ILL: The 2016 and 2017 floods were ways God cracked our blackened windows to see it again.

We complain in the Magic Kingdom, forgetting how life is in places hardest hit in the Tragic Kingdom.

Natural disasters, such as floods, earthquakes, famines, civil wars, and insurgencies affecting 100-200 million people each year.

People go hungry every night--1 billion are chronically short of food.

Lack of clean water.

Violence and tension.

Ethnic and religious hatred and violence.

Human trafficking; pandemic diseases.

>1/3 of the world's population lives on <$2/day, and >3/4's live on less than $10/day.

(If you earn more than $40,000, you make more than 99% of the people in the world.

An income of just $13 places you in the top 10 percent.) 8 million children die each year (19,000/day) largely of preventable causes because they are poor.

(Unfinished, pp.

48-49)

The “Tragic Kingdom” is not just people living in far away lands, but Luke gives us insight into the eternal destiny of people who live far and wide—their future is in Hell.

ILL: The 2016 and 2017 floods were ways God cracked our blackened windows to see needs again.

“Most Magic Kingdom Christians don't know much about the Tragic Kingdom; in fact, they go out of their way to avoid it.”

(Unfinished, p. 50)

Like Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan, the people who should be helping walk far around the needs.

Case and point: How many of you have gone on vacation?

How many of you have gone on a missions trip?

Both are important—which is a better investment for the Kingdom of Heaven?

How many of you who have gone on a missions trip would say your life was more changed and affected by a missions trip than a vacation?